


Mud, Blood & Gold

by mudman



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eureka Stockade AU, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 01:16:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12900858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mudman/pseuds/mudman
Summary: Eureka Stockade AU. My first attempt at writing historical fiction woo!As today is the 3rd of December, it is officially 163 years ago that my favourite event in Australian history took place! I feel like no one really knows (or cares) much about Australian history, so I shall educate you the only way I know how- through fic! With just a hint of smut (*・∀-)☆





	Mud, Blood & Gold

**28 November, 1854**

He held the metal pan inches from his face and scrutinised the murky contents. His bloodshot eyes moved with a certain laziness, still searching for that glimmer of gold but with less urgency than the day before, and even more so than the day before that. Patience was a man’s greatest virtue, but just how great could a man be with an empty stomach? A face reddened from the late-spring sun to match the colour of his hair was all he had to show for his weeks of fruitless labour.

The only glimmer in his pan was the reflection of the sun in the water, low in the sky as the day neared its end. He emptied the water back into the creek with a sigh. He craned his neck to look up at the clouds, suddenly aware of how his body ached.

_I can do this it’s gonna be any day now it could be tomorrow I will find my gold I know I will I didn’t travel all this way for nothing–_

“Oi, Eustass my boy!” came the voice from across the shallow creek.

It was the old timer, livelier than most, still rocking the splintered cradle he was hunched over as the two men locked gazes. The old man’s eyes were gaunt with concern for the younger man who he’d taken under his wing since his arrival in Ballarat. He cocked his grey beard as a gesture for Kid to look behind.

In the distance Kid could make out the navy police uniform. Kudos to the geezer for having such sight at his age. This was the second time this week the coppers had made themselves known. Licence checks were growing more frequent, which was bad news for Kid and those alike. The lockup was rarely empty these days. The Gold Commissioner’s police force, now backed by British soldiers, were tasked with what _they_ considered to be upholding law and order on the goldfields. Unfortunately, there was no one tasked with making sure the authorities didn’t abuse their power. It didn’t help the situation that in recent efforts to increase police numbers an attractive wage was offered and anyone would to do hire, even ex-convicts. The harsh and corrupt enforcement that resulted was hardly surprising.

Kid took his cue to make leave. He stood, gave a nod in thanks to his friend, and with his pan tucked under his arm he set off with subtle haste. He weaved through the still unsuspecting diggers on the goldfields, and then through the peppered arrangement of white tents. He did his best to keep out of sight until he reached the stables.

Not bothering with the heavy gate, Kid climbed three steps up the wooden logs before he was able to lift and manoeuvre his solid body over the fence, an action committed to memory. He was a tall man, but these fences were made for the drays. He wasted no time entering the stables. Even when his favourite horse made to come over and greet him from the far side of the roaming area he raised his hand. “Not now, Girly,” Kid spoke with a firm gentleness.

She took a few heavy steps before stilling her feathered legs, stirring up the dust. She flicked her tail and shook her head madly up and down. Kid gave her a crooked grin. He could just imagine the cheek she would give could she speak. She was his favourite for a reason, after all. She was beautiful, sixteen hands high and solid as anything. Chestnut brown, as were most of the drays here, but her white spots that freckled her legs and sides made her unique. Kid couldn’t help but forgive her for all the times she’d trod on his feet. Sure, she had a real name given by her wealthy owner, but Kid thought ‘Girly’ suited her best. It wasn’t just her, Kid had renamed all eight of the drays he tended to as his second job, which was necessary so not to starve to death from his lack of gold findings.

Kid passed through the entrance and paused mid-step when he caught a glimpse of a red soldier’s jacket out the corner of his eye.

“I take it you are yet to purchase a licence then, Mr Eustass,” came that voice, smug, smooth like velvet.

Kid smiled at the familiar figure leaning up against the wall. “Well. If it isn’t my _favourite_ soldier.” He moved closer until their faces were only inches apart and rested a hand on the wall besides the other’s head. “And only a fool would spend thirty shillings a month on a piece of paper.”

“I think you’re a fool regardless,” the soldier, Law, said. He cupped the nape of Kid’s neck tenderly, burying his fingers into that thick red hair, pulling him closer.

Kid dipped his head to nip at the other’s jaw and suck on the tender skin of his neck, hands smoothing up and down Law’s sides.

“Ew,” was all Law had to say, pinching a soggy, mud-stained sleeve and pulling it away from his own pristine uniform.

Kid bit back a teasing comment. There was a time and place for running his mouth, and he’d learnt from experience that right before he was hoping to get laid was not one of those times. With a grin he pulled his shirt over his head, slow enough to let Law enjoy the show of flexing muscles, before tossing it to the side and getting right back to pinning Law against the wall.

“Are we gonna do this, or have I come here to waste my time?”

Kid’s grin turned feral. _Impatient bastard_. “Have you ever left here unsatisfied?”

“No.” Nails scratched lightly down Kid’s bare chest. “ _But there’s a first for everything_ ,” Law said with a smirk.

“ _Not for this there isn’t_ ,” predatory, possessive. “C’mon,” Kid said. He took Law by the hand and pulled him towards the ladder, up to their secret spot hidden amongst the stored hay.

As always Kid insisted Law climb first. Law took it as a compliment. Kid took it as an appetiser.

Once at the top lustful, rough hands pinned Law down. “Any special requests, sweetheart?” Kid watched as the other’s pupils grew with excitement.

“Don’t hold back.”

“Like I ever do,” Kid growled, lips brushing over a reddening ear. He savoured the soft moan he earned by sucking on a golden ring, but even better was the sharp gasp that came from slipping his hand up the other’s jacket to pinch and tug at a stiff nipple.

Law arched up beautifully in a display of eager flexibility, only to be crushed a second later by Kid’s weight, smothering him as he grinded their hardening pricks together.

“Hurry,” Law breathed, holding his voice steady enough to hide the extent of his desperation.

Kid was too hard to feel the pain of how tightly Law’s fist was knotted in his hair. He had to be inside him right the fuck now before they both went insane.

#

They laid side by side, chests heaving as their heads buzzed with ecstasy. Their breathing hadn’t even yet returned steady when Law reached for his clothes.

“Stay a little longer?” Kid asked, hopeful, wrapping an arm around the smaller man’s waist.

Law opened his mouth to protest, but then gave a reluctant sigh and relaxed into Kid’s embrace. They stayed that way for a long time, unspeaking, peaceful. Law tucked his head under Kid’s chin and intertwined their legs. Kid ran his fingers through the soft black peaks of Law’s hair. They fell asleep like that, enjoying the warmth that was skin against skin.

#

Kid woke to empty arms, and not for the first time. He collected his clothes and went outside, greeted by a blood red Australian sunset.

“ _KID!_ ” a man yelled, voice wrecked.

It was Ace, who stomped over and filled his fists with Kid’s loose shirt, his livid expression making him almost unrecognisable.

“ _Where the HELL have you been?!_ ”

Kid was too stunned to process the situation.

“Killer is _dead!_ ”

The blood left Kid’s face. No words. Not Killer. Not his best friend. _Ace you Liar_.

Ace’s eyes pricked with tears as he tried to shake a response from Kid. “He resisted the police. And now he’s _dead!_ ” he said, voice hysteric.

* * *

  

**29 November**

Killer was dead.

Kid brushed Girly absentmindedly. With not a wink of sleep the sun’s glow now filtered through the stable entrance.

_Killer was dead_.

Emotion welled in his chest and lumped in his throat. He dropped the brush and instead came to stroke Girly’s white face, and she nibbled at him affectionately with her soft pink muzzle. Kid’s lip whimpered and his eyes teared up again, somehow not dried out yet. He rubbed Girly’s chin and forced a smile. Any distraction from the pain. “You’re the only girl I know who looks good with whiskers,” he tried to laugh, but grief conquered his voice. He hugged Girly’s neck and cried into her dusty coat.

Kid knew he would never look at an officer the same again. Things like this had happened before, sure, but it was different when the victim had been one of his own. There would be no justice served by the magistrates, this place was far too corrupted for that. Even last month when diggers had burned that damn hotel to the ground it had made no difference. Even when the Ballarat Reform League was formed a couple weeks back, advocating for the abolition of the licence and the vote for all men, nothing had changed.

The time for hoping others would resolve the issue was over. It was time to step up. And what better timing than this afternoon for a diggers’ meeting to be held.

#

Blazing licences were raised high in the air by a mob of maybe six hundred men, adding a sense of urgency to the already building chaos. The roars and screams of defiance against The Crown were deafening, hair-raising and empowering. Kid watched with budding hope and valour as a new flag was raised for all to see, of vibrant blue and gold representing the Southern Cross.

Kid wasn’t an idiot, though. He knew that this flag was the only thing differentiating this meeting from those of the past. At this rate there would be no real change. Corruption would live on to breed more corruption. Killer was dead, and as things were the horizon promised only more death.

Mind so fogged it was the same as being empty, Kid stumbled through the crowd on numb legs; stumbled through men who grinned as though they believed they were making a difference. _Fools._

He stood amongst the Reform League speakers now, up by the flag pole. One glance up at that fabric flapping weakly in the wind and something welled up in Kid’s chest that couldn’t be contained.

“ _NOT GOOD ENOUGH!_ ” he bellowed at the top of his lungs. His heart raced as he watched one by one people turned their attention towards him. “IF WE DON’T CHANGE THEN NOTHING ELSE WILL! What we _need_ , men, is a military approach!”

Men began bickering among themselves, but Kid was all but done.

“I can no longer stand aside as I watch injustice inexcusably and detrimentally cheat my fellow men! There is a call for revolution, and together we must rise to that calling! If disrespect is taken by The Crown, _then so be it!_ For the time of living under colonial rule must end. _As men_ , it shall be our right to vote! And _as men_ , we will abolish the all-oppressing taxation!”

Cheers of the people rose thick in the air, feeding the beast that had been freed from Kid’s belly.

Gasping at his own boldness, he squared his shoulders and stood tall. “We swear, by the Southern Cross, to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and our liberties! We meet tomorrow noon at Bakery Hill!”

#

_Law! I must warn him of the violent events to come tell him to keep away for his own safety I’ve looked everywhere where the hell are you god damn it Law-_

* * *

  

**3 December**

The past three days had been eventful. On Bakery Hill some five hundred diggers now under Kid’s leadership marched up to the Eureka diggings. There they had constructed a stockade using makeshift wood, claiming an acre of the goldfield as their base. The Southern Cross flag was raised with purpose to which men swore an oath upon. Pikes were mounted to defend the stockade and firearms were gathered in preparation for battle. They could only hope they were ready.

#

It was early morning when the authorities launched their attack. Law’s face was among the other soldiers ready for battle. Kid’s eyes found him instantly, how could they not. He swore he could have pinpointed the moment he felt his heart break. His stomach churned and he forced himself to look away, look anywhere but at that face.

It was too late to turn back now. _For Killer_. With that thought everything became a daze.

More police and soldiers than Kid had ever seen in one place opened fire on the diggers. The thunder of riffles echoed through the air and flames cast shadows like dancing demons all around.

The battle moved in slow motion, seeming to stretch on forever, when in actual fact it lasted for all of twenty minutes. They were simply outnumbered.

Twenty-two diggers and five troops laid dead on the battlefield. Kid recognised one of those bodies…recognised that black hair. The man was face down in the dirt, a patch of red on his uniform a darker shade of crimson than the rest, blossoming like a flower of stolen life.

Kid stood in utter disbelief. He refused to believe that the proud soldier he knew would have accepted such an indignant end. He was torn from his trance when pain shot through his arm. Blood poured out, soaking a good portion of his left side.

In shock, Kid fled.

The Southern Cross flag was pulled down and cut into souvenir pieces by the victors.

* * *

 

**6 December**

Kid had dipped in and out of consciousness for a good part of the day. His arm ached, however somehow the throbbing of his head was just as bad. The worst part was that he could still feel it there. His arm. It felt as though he could move it at any moment he chose to do so. But the reality that only his eyes perceived was that his left arm, in fact, ended in a heavily bandaged stump mid-bicep.

Suddenly drowsy again, his heavy eyelids fell shut.

_I lost my best friend I lost my lover I lost the battle I lost my arm I’ve lost everything… yet I don’t feel defeated because this isn’t the end no this is the beginning of my battle only a coward would quit now and I am no such man I will bring change-_

Talking? No, it was too abrupt. An argument, maybe? Kid heard voices from outside his window. He opened his eyes to stare at the closed curtain as though somehow that would aid his hearing.

That voice. Kid knew that voice. His heart raced impossibly fast, beating as though if he remained in bed it would certainly burst through his chest.

He reached for the covers with his left arm, s _hit!_ His right arm, _better_. He flung them off and swung his feet onto the ground. His legs were shaky from lack of use but his haste kept him balanced enough as he made for the bedroom door. Upon opening it he was met by the horrified faces of the family who had so kindly taken him into their care and place of hiding.

“You need to rest!” the woman shrilled, rushing from her seat to steady Kid who looked ready to collapse on the floor.

“That man…!” Kid sputtered, suddenly out of breath, “Outside…that man! _I need to see him!_ ”

Conquered by the onset of a dizzy spell, Kid hung his head down as his vision darkened and body swayed. As patches of his vision returned normal he noticed the red oozing through the bandages of his amputated limb, a single drop falling to the floor.

“We’ll bring him in, just for heaven’s sake return to bed!”

The woman’s husband was at Kid’s side then, pulling his good arm over his shoulder to support him back to his bed. The woman disappeared off into another room.

Kid was reacquainted with his bed. He noticed the voices from outside had fallen quiet. Doubt sank into his mind, adding to the mix of panic and desire. Had it been the voice of a stranger who he had so desperately wanted to sound familiar? No. There was no point overthinking it now. Kid watched the doorway. Waiting. Wanting.

Kid could all but stare when a ghost entered the room, his eyes wide and unblinking, mouth gaped when words failed.

Law’s expression staring back was much the same.

When words did come they flowed out all at once. “ _Trafalgar!_ I-I tried to warn you about- I couldn’t _find_ you! You- I…I saw you _die!?_ How…” Kid’s voice cracked and tears pricked in his eyes, blurring the figure as it moved closer. The edge of the bed dipped from the Law’s weight and a hand found its way into his, giving a firm squeeze. “ _I’m so glad you’re safe_ ,” Kid choked out before tears streamed his face. He made to wipe them away with his left hand. _Damn it_.

A gentle hand was against his cheek then, wiping over the flushed wet skin. Kid leaned into the touch. He hadn’t heard the door click shut but they were alone now.

“I wasn’t sure I would find you.” Law’s voice was uneven despite his best efforts. “I knew you wouldn’t have travelled far with that injury, but no one I spoke with would reveal your location. You seem to have quite the number of admirers.”

Kid sniffed, wiping his nose on his shoulder this time.

Law made to lay down on the minimal space of the edge of the bed, curling up to Kid’s side and resting his head on his chest. He needed this. Kid leaned back against the pillows and wrapped his good arm around Law. They both needed this.

“You’re a fool,” Law said eventually, turning his face against the bare skin of Kid’s chest. He ignored the smell of blood and focused instead on the musky scent that was Kid’s own. It would take a fool to love a fool.

They remained like that for a long while, just breathing together. It was a familiar way to rest, but under such different circumstances. Their stained blanket back at the stable felt a lifetime away.

“What did you mean when you said no one would reveal my location? I’m certain the entire town knows of my presence,” Kid finally said.

Law propped himself up to raise an eyebrow at Kid. “You’re a wanted man, Mr Eustass. Hardly surprising in light of recent events.” He reached his bag from the floor and pulled it onto the bed. From it he handed Kid a printed poster.

Kid grinned like a mad man as he read. Something warm budded in his chest. Pride, perhaps, for the evidence that he’d made a change, alas a small one. 

> £300 REWARD Whereas the person of the name Eustace, LATE OF BALLARAT, did on or about the 30th day of November last, at Bakery Hill, use certain TREASONABLE AND SEDITIOUS LANGUAGE, and incite men to take up arms, with a view to make war against Our Sovereign Lady the QUEEN: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a reward of £300 will be paid to any person or persons giving such information as may lead to the apprehension of the abovenamed party.

“My first wanted poster and they misspelt my name.”

“Your physical description does make up for it, though.”

Kid’s eyes moved to the smaller print down the bottom, skimming over his basic description to then find himself referred to as ‘rather good looking’ and ‘a well made man.’ He laughed at that, a satisfied sounding thing.

Law again reached into his bag, then paused. “I have… a proposal, of sorts,” he said, turning to look Kid in the eye. “Seeing as you are now a wanted man, we could build a home together. Somewhere we could live in hiding. We could pay for it and more with this–” Law revealed a brick of pure gold from his bag.

“ _Where did you-!?_ ”

“I stole it,” Law admitted shamelessly. “After our last meeting I was tasked with guarding the gold exports being transported to the capital.”

Kid couldn’t believe his eyes. Or his ears, for that matter. “ _Larcenous soldier_ ,” he teased with a grin. This was supposedly the same man who had refused to play two-up because ‘gambling was bad.’

“I don’t think I much fancy being a soldier anymore. _Perhaps I’ve been corrupted_.” Law gave a teasing grin right back. “You haven’t answered my proposal yet.”

“Of course I want it,” Kid said. “I want to fall asleep with you every night,” he intertwined their fingers, “and wake up next to you each morning.” He brought the other’s hand to his lips to press a kiss there. “But not in hiding.”

Kid watched as Law’s eyes changed subtly from concern to acceptance. “One can get a taste for audacity.” Law leaned over and pressed a kiss on his lover’s lips with such gentleness that it could be mistaken for a bittersweet goodbye.

In an instant Kid’s heart began thumping away as regret flooded his system. _Take back what you said it’s not too late_ -

The kiss ended and Law breathed reassuring words against Kid’s lips. “I want to stay with you regardless.”

Kid kissed him back, passionately, consuming, until they fell breathless.

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone wondering, Kid and his actions were loosely based on historical figure Peter Lalor, who later went on to join the legislative council and succeeded in granting men the right to vote and abolished the gold taxation. The Eureka Stockade is often referred to as the birth of Australian democracy. No, Peter Lalor wasn’t gay (that anyone knows of??), but he married the woman who amputated his arm, which I think is cute in its own way.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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